1. What’s your name & Your Company Name: I sell my soaps and body products under the name Bird Bath Essentials. The big umbrella of my business is The Robin’s Nest and encompasses my fiber and other interests.

2. Why did you decide to go into business? What was your motivation? How long have you been in business? There’s always been a little entrepreneur in me! I learn to do something and once I perfect it, I just have to share it with others. I started The Robin’s Nest in 1984 and added Bird Bath Essentials for the handcrafted soap and body products in the early 2000’s.

3. What products do you make and sell? My main body product is soap. I have developed my base recipe to include nourishing oils and then I enjoy adding herbs from my garden, different milks, seeds, colorants, etc. to individualize my bars. Enjoying the process, I consider each bar a little work of art. I also make cream lotion, body/bath oils, sugar polish, bath salts, lip and body butter. I knit, spin (on a spinning wheel not a bike!), and dabble in watercolors and polymer clay. Occasionally, you’ll find products that reflect these interests in my shop, as well. Always in the sharing mode, I also offer classes in knitting and traditional rug hooking and hope to add soapmaking to the list soon.

4. What are your business goals? My business goal is to make and offer nourishing body products – ones that are not only nourishing to the skin but to all the senses and the soul. I work fulltime as a registered nurse and my business dream is to reach a point where I can spend more time on The Robin’s Nest / Bird Bath Essentials than on nursing!

5. What are some products you use from Natures Garden; what are your favorite products from Natures Garden? I’m in love with Natures Garden’s fragrance oils and really appreciate the descriptive information that’s provided for each one. Some of my best sellers include products that incorporate the following fragrances – Sea Salt & Lotus Blossom, Cashmere & Silk fragrance oil, Blackberry Jam, and Aloe Vera & Cucumber.